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Project of the Month - June 2003

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"Patriotic Star Book" June's project of the month is compliments of Stamp Artist Becky Stratton.  The Patriotic Star Book shown below was the winning entry in the "Holiday/Seasonal Category of our Third Anniversary Contest.

Stamp Artist Becky Stratton

Materials

2 book boards 5 3/4" X 5 3/4" 2 pieces Blue cover paper about an inch larger that the boards Book Glue Brush to apply glue with 1 1/2 yard waxed linen thread Book or Tapestry needle Layer 1-7 pieces red cardstock 5 1/2" X 11" Layer 2-7 pieces dk. blue cardstock 3" X 11" Layer 3-7 pieces white cardstock 5 1/2" X 8" Layer 4-5 pieces dk. blue cardstock 5 1/2" X 7" Layer 4-2 pieces dk. blue cardstock 11"X7"

extra sheets of white, dk. blue, and red cardstock watercolor pencils blending pen Brilliance inks in Red, Silver, White Navy Blue ink flag material Flag paper blue mulberry paper with stars yarn for ties Foam tape Framing tape

Directions

Take one book board, coat one side of it with book glue. Use a brush to spread the glue evenly and push it into the board. Put the board glue side down on the wrong side of the cover paper making sure to center the board and smooth out any bubbles. Miter the corners by cutting them. Make sure to leave one and a half times the thickness of the book board. Put glue along the edges using the brush. Then fold over the paper. Make sure and pull it tight. Cover the cover with wax paper and put it under a heavy book to dry. Repeat for the other cover.   Fold layer (red cardstock) one in half making your pieces 5 1/2" X 5 1/2". Fold layer 2 (Dk. blue cardstock) in half, making you pieces 3" X 5 1/2". Fold in half the other way making them 1 1/2 X 5 1/2". These are your spacers. Put one spacer in each of the folded sheets. The open ends of the spacer go up. One folded sheet and one spacer makes a signature. Put all of the signatures make sure the end of the spacers are all facing up. Hold them together and draw four evenly spaced lines across all of the spacers to mark where to put the holes.   Take a wash cloth or hand towel. Fold it so that it is four thicknesses. Open one of the signatures and lay it on the towel with the spine over the towel. Use a push pin to punch a whole on each of the four holes. Do the same to all 7 signatures.   Now take one signature and your threaded needle. Starting from the bottom hole (1) perform a running stitch leaving about 1 to 2 inches of thread, by going in hole one to the back out hole 2 in hole 3 and out hole 4. Then add another signature. Go in hole 4 of the 2nd signature out of hole 3 of the 2nd signature in hole 3 of the 1st signature out hole 2 of the 1st signature in hole 2 of the 2nd signature and out hole one of the first signature. Tie the two ends together in a knot. Tuck the small loose end in between the pages. Add a third signature the same way. When you get to the top take your thread under the stitch or the second signature. Attach all 7 signatures the same way. When you get done with the last signature, take your needle in the fourth hole of the 7th signature out the third and in the 2nd then tie it off and cut it, but not two short.   Now it is time to glue the covers to the book. Don't forget the ties. Put glue on the back of one of the covers. Put one of the ties down. Add a little more glue on the top of the tie. Center one of the end of the book. Do the same for the other cover. Cover the covers with wax paper and put under a heavy weight to dry.   Stamp 1776! in blue along the top of the white pages. Fold them in half. Decorate and stamp the Dk. blue pages. Page 1. Stamp John Hancock and John Adams signature on the blue pages in white. Stamp George Washington, three signers, and "What people want..." on white paper in navy. Tear around the stamps and edge with red ink. Mount to the page and fold the page in half.   Page 2. Take one of the 11"X7" pages and fold it in half making it 5 1/2" X 7". Fold it in half the other way making it 5 1/2" X 3 1/2". Cut from the bottom corner up to the fold in the middle on both side, making a pocket page. Stamp star in white on blue pocket page. On silver cardstock stamp "We can do it" Color in bandana with watercolor pencils in red and blend with blender pen. Mount to red cardstock. Cut a piece of red cardstock the same size and stamp torch postage stamp randomly in navy. Stamp torch in navy on white and color and blend with watercolor crayons. Mount with foam tape to blue cardstock and then to stamped red panel. Put them in pocket pages.   Page 3. Stamp small 1776! in white on blue page. Stamp large 1776! in red on white paper. Stamp flag inked with red on blue markers on white paper. Mount both too blue mulberry paper and red cardstock, then to page. Fold page in half. Page 4. Stamp eagle in Artprint brown on white paper. Tear out. Run edges along brown ink pad. Color eagle with watercolor pencils. Tear some flag paper. Run edges over red ink. Mount flag paper on blue page. Mount eagle on top of flag paper. Fold in half. Page 5. Make another pocket page. Cut two red panels. Stamp soldiers with flag in blue on white. Mount too red. Color flag with watercolor pencils. Stamp "God Bless America" on blue page and a blue panel. Mount blue panel to white cardstock with foam tape. Stamp eagle postage stamp in blue on red panel. Mount blue to the red. Page 6. Stamp music (Second Star on the Right) in blue. Tear it out and mount to blue page. Stamp words to "God Bless America" in red on white paper. Tear it out and run edges over red pad. Mount it on top of music. Fold page in half. Page 7. Glue strip of flag material from one corner two the other on blue page. Stamp "We hold these truths" on white in red. Tear it out and run the edges over the red pad. Mount to the blue page and fold in half. Take your bound book. Tape two pages together at the end two make one. Do this with all of the pages. Then tape one of the layer three pages to the cover and the first page. Continue this on every page. Then add layer four the same way.